The Human–Nature Relationship and Its Impact on Health: a critical Review

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSiON

One of the imperatives for this article is to review existing theo-

retical and research literature on the many ways that humans are 

linked with the natural environment within various disciplines. 

Although widely discussed across the main four research fields 

– evolutionary psychology, environmentalism, evolutionary biol-

ogy, and social economics – there has been comparatively little 

discussion of convergence between them on defining the human–

nature relationship. This paper therefore attempts to redefine the 

human–nature relationship to bring further understanding of 

humanity’s relationship with the natural environment from an 

interdisciplinary perspective. The paper also highlights impor-

tant complex debates both within and across these disciplines.

The central discussion was to explore the interrelationships 

between the human–nature relationship and its impact on 

human health. In questioning the causal relationship, this paper 

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Seymour 

The Human–Nature Relationship and Its Impact on Health

Frontiers in Public Health  |  www.frontiersin.org

November 2016 | Volume 4 | Article 260